The World Championships consisted of a total of twelve competitions, one road race, one team time trial and one individual time trial for men and women, as well as one road race and one individual time trial for U23 riders and juniors. The Tour de Suisse organisers were responsible for the operational organisation of the races.[3] The competitions were very demanding: the 265-kilometre men's road race had nine climbs with around 5000 metres of altitude difference.[4] Because of the many climbs, some sprinters did not participate in the World Championships because they saw no prospect of success for themselves. It was the last edition to feature a team time trial for UCI trade teams. From 2019 onwards it will be replaced by a mixed team time trial for national teams. [5]